There various parts of a retaining wall and design principles of these retaining wall components based on different factors and material and methods of construction are discussed. Any wall that sustains significant lateral soil pressure is a retaining wall. However, the term is usually used with.

Retaining walls provide lateral support to vertical slopes of soil. They retain soil which would otherwise collapse into a more natural shape.

The retained soil is sometimes referred to as backfill. Retaining walls can be constructed with a variety of building techniques and with different materials such as steel, timber, or reinforced soil. Here, we will focus on rigid, monolithic, poured concrete walls that are constructed from the bottom up, where a stable backslope exists (at least temporarily) prior to wall construction. With poured concrete retaining walls, backfill is placed between the wall and the slope after the wall is constructed. In this section, we will talk about the walls themselves, their design and some important construction considerations, but not about groundwork or compaction, since these are entire topics in their own right.

Segmental Retaining Walls Best Practices Guide for the Specification, Design, Construction, and Inspection of SRW Systems. Design of concrete cantilever retaining walls to resist earthquake loading for residential sites. Worked example to accompany MBIE Guidance on the seismic design of retaining structures for residential sites in Greater Christchurch (Version 2) November 2014. A Design Guide for Earth Retaining Structures Contents at a glance: 1. About Retaining Walls; Terminology. Concrete design, masonry design, and in all sorts of related topics. Despite the many references, a single volume on. Basics of Retaining Wall Design.

Designers and builders of any kind of retaining wall should be familiar with and follow the procedures and methods for soil preparation and backfill compaction as dictated by the appropriate local building codes. In most states, retaining wall designs taller than about four feet must be designed by or approved by a qualified, licensed professional engineer. Additionally, it is important to check with and adhere to local building codes prior to any construction, even when walls are shorter than four feet.

Retaining walls are, and should always be viewed as load-bearing members first, and aesthetic groundscapes second. GENERAL RETAINING WALL DESIGN. Poured concrete retaining walls can also be decorative and reproduce the look of stone or masonry. In this photo, Increte contractors installed a poured-in-place decorative concrete wall system called Stone-Crete that creates deep relief stone walls with a variety of available textures and colors. Stone-Crete is used for sound barrier walls, retaining walls, subdivision entry walls or wherever a beautiful deep relief stone wall is desired.

Stone-Crete's mass production techniques minimize costly masonry work while providing the structural and aesthetic quality of concrete. The construction process for these decorative walls involves setting the forms, installing form liners inside the forms (this provides the texture), pouring colored or plain concrete, then stripping the forms and staining the concrete to look like stone or masonry. Many other manufacturers make form liners and the stains for coloring the poured concrete walls. Decorative options for concrete walls: • Stamp the surface of the walls - use texture skins • Do a sponge finish while the concrete is wet - creates a stucco-like look • Trowel in a Victorian swirl pattern - looks like old-fashioned plaster • Apply an acid stain or color hardener.